


a song that no one else can sing

by larkspear



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Maiden AU, Minor Character Death, Multi, Other, cinder n co also make a brief appearance, some whiterose and bumbleby undertones
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-02-10 13:13:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18661132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larkspear/pseuds/larkspear
Summary: Ozpin gets all four of his Maidens in one place, even neatly lined up on a single team. But it's not so easy to take the burden of those powers if you don't even know what thatmeans.Or: team RWBY become maidens far too early.





	1. falling petals

**Author's Note:**

> this was originally a much simpler au, but as it developed and i decided it was important to include a few things, it became more complicated. so enjoy. 
> 
> likely to only be 5-6 chapters but we'll see

Of course, the plan falls apart. Too bad, because it was a really good plan. But they'd gotten intel that the Fall Maiden was going _somewhere_ to do _something_. Very vague intel, but from a reliable enough source to be a problem. There wasn't enough time to figure out where she was going before she was gone, so they needed to strike and strike soon.

The thing about hasty plans for delicate situations is that they almost always go wrong. Which isn't so bad if you just need to kill someone, it's very easy to improvise killing someone. But for what they needed to do? A little more tricky.

And it was even more important now with how badly the last few attempts to catch a maiden had gone. If you need a job right, do it yourself, or that's what Cinder had said after the mess with the Summer one.

So when they do track down Fall, whose name is actually Amber but nobody except Emerald cares enough to use it, she's not quite as secluded as they'd like. Their best chance is to catch her on a long road into the next town and hope nobody else is around.

And, of course, as hasty plants are wont to do, things go wrong. In the crunched time frame they get a little bit too aggressive and oh, that arrow probably hit something fatal, and that arrow definitely did. Which is fine if Cinder can do her... thing, but then some bleeding heart Huntsman shows up before she can even start and chases them off.

"But it's fine, right?" Emerald says after they've slunk away. "She's totally going to die, and she'll probably be thinking of one of us." Best case scenario Cinder, worst case scenario her, but maiden powers in their hands either way. "Right?"

Mercury nudges her into silence while Cinder seethes.

Meanwhile, Qrow clutches Amber close and lets grim reality sink in. Even if he took her to the village doctor in time, the chances of stabilizing her are so low. It's not worth the risk of moving her. Maybe it's his fault for being here. Still, he tries to get her attention. He's got to try, because they can't lose _another_ maiden.

"Hey," He begs, "C'mon, look at me."

But Amber isn't listening. She thinks about the other maidens, she thinks about how she's failed, and she thinks about how they could really use a silver eyed warrior right about now.  
  


 

* * *

 

They're supposed to be on vacation but there's so much restless energy in the air that Ruby can't relax. She's got a few months at home until the school year starts and she goes back to Signal, which is always exciting. And Yang is- well, she's home still too, but next year she's going to Beacon and that's exciting. Sure, it'd been touch and go for a while, but she'd never doubted that Yang would get in. And yeah, it's bittersweet that she won't see her sister as much, but it's only a couple more years until Ruby goes to Beacon too.

Still, it feels like time is passing too fast, and also not fast enough.

After sprinting in circles with Zwei in the backyard, Ruby falls down into the grass. Zwei joins her, and Yang just watches them. Ruby stares up at the clouds rolling by.

"We should go somewhere," Ruby announces. "All of us, together!" (Well, not all of them, because Qrow's busy on missions more than lately.)

"Like a family vacation?" Yang leans over her. "Ooookay. Yeah, sure, sounds fun! Where are we going?"

"Mmmmmmmmmmwhat about Forever Fall?" Ruby cranes her neck to look up at Yang. "I know we're going to Vale soon but we haven't been in _forever_ and it'd be super fun, right?"

"We can go to one of those popular camping sites and make fun of tourists from Atlas who can't make a tent." Yang grins. "Count me in! We just gotta convince dad."

"It'll be just like old times!" Ruby cheers. "One last hurrah before school."

Yang's a little quieter when she answers. "Yeah. One last- "

A chill runs down Ruby's spine suddenly and she's struck by something, as if hit by a blast of wind. She sits up and looks around, blinking away the stinging in her eyes. She feels almost dazed, like she'd been winded but she can breath just fine.

"Ruby?" Yang's concerned voice brings her back to attention.

"I'm fine," She replies quickly. "Just got a chill. Maybe there's a storm rolling in?" Maybe the air temperature and pressure just dropped with a front rolling in and she got startled by it. That's all.

Yang watches her. "Maybe."

 

 

The feeling builds, like an itch at the back of her throat, until the night. Ruby writes it off to excitement, or maybe a storm, or maybe worry for Yang's sake. Either way, she goes to bed and tries not to think about it.

In the middle of the night it breaks over her like a wave over a stone or lightning striking a lonesome tree. The feeling overflows and chokes her until she has to sit up and gasp for air. Alternating chills and hot flashes pass over her, but rippling and flickering like it's coming from her Aura. Ruby feels like a wind vane spun too fast, still creaking and vibrating from the blast.

The world spins when Ruby rises from her bed to stumble to the bathroom. Or, she thinks she should stumble, but her legs don't feel all the unsteady. But whatever. Maybe this is just some kind of anxiety attack from a nightmare. She doesn't normally get those, but Yang's told her what to do anyway. Ruby splashes some water on her face to try and ground herself. Her fingers grips the side of the sink. _Deep breaths_.

The feeling doesn't pass. Ruby just feels cold and exhausted. The mirror fogs up faster than she thinks it should. Too tired to try and wrap her head around this, Ruby drags herself back to bed. She wraps herself extra tight in her blankets, and falls asleep.

 

 

The next morning, she comes to with Yang shaking her awake.

"Get up, sleepyhead," her sister says as Ruby struggles to blink open her eyes. Everything's so bright. When that's not enough, Yang pulls her blanket off. "Dad made pancakes, you're gonna miss ‘em. You don't normally sleep in this late."

Ruby groans and sits up very slowly. She shudders and pulls the blanket back up and around herself. Normally she might pretend to ignore Yang or fight for the blanket, but this morning she's not up for it. The world grates on raw nerves.

Yang notices, of course. She presses a hand to Ruby's forehead.

"You're burning up." She switches which hand she uses and Ruby leans into the cool metal of Yang's prosthesis against her skin. Until the ripple switches and the chills return, at which point she just pulls the blanket closer. Yang pushes her back down into bed gently.   "You go ahead and rest up. I'm gonna get the thermometer to take your temperature, okay?"

Ruby lays back and hears Yang leave the room. Ruby almost ignores her when she comes back to take Ruby's temperature. She thinks she could float away, like a cloud, if she just tried.

"You... don't have a fever." Yang frowns at the thermometer. "Maybe it's your Aura."

"It feels like it," Ruby grumbles. "Or something."

"Well, get some rest," Yang says. Ruby hears her muffled conversation with dad downstairs a few minutes later, but just thinks about clouds.

 

 

By the next day, Ruby feels fine. Well, not fine, but she feels better. Instead of sluggish and alternating between chilled and feverish, Ruby feels full to bursting with energy and practically vibrating. It reminds her of when she first unlocked her Semblance, and the newfound power kept her from sitting still for a week.

That's what this feels like. Overflowing with a new power. It's kind of alarming.

"You sure you're feeling better? " Yang fusses over her, because of course. "You can stay in bed today if you want, seriously."

" _Seriously_ , I'm feeling a lot better. Just kind of... jittery?" Ruby tosses some clothes over her shoulder to dig out her shoes. "So pleeeease can we go somewhere? I'm going to die if I have to stay in all day with dad moping because he thinks I'm sick."

"Well- Hold on, you've got something stuck on you." Yang reaches to pull a sock off of her back, hesitates, and then does so with her non-metal arm. "You're super static-y today. Anyway, I _guess_ you can come into town with me to get some grocery, but _only_ because dad is moping."

Ruby hugs her, and giggles when Yang's hair stands on end from the static.  
  
  
  


They don't ever go to Forever Fall. Her... condition continues just like that. It doesn't go away, but she doesn't feel sick. Just like a cup overflowing. She's often bursting with static electricity, her Semblance creates stronger bursts of wind, her eyes sting and burn in a weird way when she's angry. And that's just the things she can prove. The things in her corner of her eyes like leaves falling as she walks by or freezing when she brushes against something... that's just coincidence.

Dad fusses over her. He still thinks she's sick, that she needs to go to some kind of Aura doctor, maybe even that she should take a break from school. Ruby protests, Yang protests even harder.

Yeah, on the other hand, Yang keeps an eye on her but doesn't fuss the way dad does. Honestly, the way Yang watches her reminds her of that one time, a few months before Yang's... incident, when she'd sat Ruby down and stared really meaningfully into her eyes.

"Ruby," she'd said in a strange tone, "Have you ever noticed anything weird about your eyes? Like... anything weird ever happened?"

"No...?" Ruby looked at her sister skeptically. "What kind of question is that?"

Yang had just leaned back. "Nevermind. I heard a weird rumor, but it must've just been an inside joke." And then she never brought it up again and pretended like it didn't happen.

The look Yang gave her now, whenever Ruby yelped from accidentally zapping something again, was about the same.  
  
  
  


Eventually Qrow did come to visit, just a couple months before they're off to school, though Ruby suspects it's because dad has finally told Qrow all about her condition. But it's fine! She's been getting a better handle of it, there's no more icy winds or fiery petals when she uses her Semblance now. By the time she goes back at Signal, she'll totally have it under control.

Qrow doesn't say anything and doesn't seem to be watching her but he's also very good at noticing things without letting you realize it.

The night sky is nice and clear tonight so she climbs onto the roof to stargaze. Yang joins her, as well as Uncle Qrow who always seems to get onto the roof with absolutely no effort. They sit out there for a long time.

"I know dad worries a lot, but I'm not sick," Ruby sighs up to the few clouds blocking the moon. "Am I?"

"You're something," Yang replies.

"Yeah, " Qrow agrees. "Something."

  
  
  


It's no Forever Fall, but she and Yang end up going to Vale for a bit for some orientation at Beacon and also because Ruby just wants to do one last fun thing with her sister before school. Even if sometimes Yang skips out on her to do whatever it is Yang does. Whatever, Ruby'll just spend the evening at a cool dust shop and stock up Crescent Rose.

Of course, the night falls apart.

One minute she's browsing magazines and the next she's beating up robbers, one-two-three and down go the rent-a-goons! Now this is a real fight, the kind that'll make her the coolest girl in school and totally impress Yang and dad. So long as she can chase down their boss up to the roof and stop him there.

Except he steps into a Bullhead before she can reach him. He rattles off some clever line and tosses a burn crystal at her and ignites it. It's only the intervention of a Huntress (a real life Huntress! In the flesh!) that saves her from getting charbroiled. Ruby watches as Mr. Bowler Had Of Evil disappears into the ship and a mysterious woman cloaked in darkness steps out to exchange blows with the huntress.

First, Ruby watches in awe. But as the Huntress' attacks do little, Ruby begins to feel... helpless. Can she really do nothing but sit back and be saved by a huntress? Only able to take out the most basic henchmen? Dad's gonna hear about this and think she's not ready to go back to school and she needs to rest. Uncle Qrow's gonna hear about it and pat her head with a gentle but pitying look and tell her n _ext time, you'll get ‘em_ without believing it. Yang will tell her that _criminals are always slippery like that_  but Yang wouldn't use that excuse for herself!

Frustration builds in the pit of her stomach. Ruby doesn't want to be helpless. She isn't helpless. The feeling coils up into her Aura. Distant clouds begin to churn and gather above them, dark and dangerous. Ruby switches Crescent Rose to sniper configuration and takes a shot at the ship. It's a sloppy shot. The bullet harmlessly ricochets off one of the engines.

And at the same moment, a bolt of lightning strikes the engine and it erupts into smoke and fire.

Both of them watch as the ship lurches and tilts. The Huntress scrambles to action and uses her Semblance (some kind of telekinesis?) to help guide the rapidly descending Bullhead gently into a water landing. Once they head the telltale splash, Ruby turns to her spur of the moment companion.

"You're a huntress," She gasps, "Can I have your autograph?!"

  
  


What Ruby gets isn't an autograph, it's a lecture in an interrogation room. The Huntress, who she learns is named Glynda Goodwitch, is very scary. Ruby keeps her eyes low until Glynda brings in someone else. On old man enters with a plate of cookies (nice) and a mug of something. Ruby recognizes him, of course.

"Ruby Rose," Ozpin begins, and leans in close. "You have... Silver eyes."

"Um." That doesn't sound like an ‘inside joke', or whatever Yang had said. "Yes...?"

He leans back. "That was a very lucky lightning strike. Wasn't it?"

"I... yeah? It was kinda weird."

"Do you have any idea how that happened?"

"N... no? " Ruby glances between the two of them. Is she being tested for something? "Like... maybe their lightning dust reacted to the fight? Or... something...?"

"Hm. " He glances back at the footage Glynda is playing. "So. Where did you learn to fight like _this_...?"  
  
  


What happens next is all a whirlwind and Ruby can hardly catch her breath until she's actually on the airship with Yang heading to Beacon. She hadn't let dad protest her sudden transfer, and Yang had seemed ecstatic about it. And also a little bit... relieved?

Speaking of catching her breath, it takes her a second to recover from Yang's crushing hug. Her sister had gotten pretty good about how to be gentle with her prosthesis, so she must be really excited to slip up.

"Oooh, I'm _so_ proud of you!" Yangs says. "And this is so incredible! Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees."

"But I don't want to be the bee's knees!" Ruby protests. "I don't want to be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees."

"Nah." Yang reaches over and ruffles her hair. Ruby catches a glimpse of Yang's smile turning bittersweet. "You're too special. Own it, they'll still like you."

  
  
  


Beacon is spectacular, there's no ands ifs or buts. And Ruby would be able to enjoy it more if Yang didn't immediately ditch her.

"Oh look I think there's someone I knew from Signal I should really go catch up, it's been so long see you Ruby bye!" Yang said and practically vanished. The whirlwind - metaphorical and a little bit literal - sent Ruby spinning and crashing into someone's luggage.

"What are you _doing_?!" Oh no.

"Uh." Some girl in a pretty white-and-blue (and a bit of red) dress yells at her and snatches up the luggage she'd knocked over. Ruby's head still spins. The girl just keeps yelling. The breeze around them kicks up almost into a gust. That didn't help with the clouds of Dust the girl shook up.

The Dust blew into Ruby's face and she knew not to sneeze, but the itch couldn't be helped. Underneath that was a stranger feeling too, a kind of rush of energy, dust in her veins - and not all the different from the pulses of her condition. Just a bit weaker.

Still. Ruby sneezed. Things exploded.

The girl was yelling with even more fervor and even if Ruby tried to defend herself, she clearly wasn't make much headway. Especially since she was distracted by the sight of the edges of the girl's wide sleeves and the tip of the sash around her waist starting to ice up, almost imperceptible against the white. _Oh no no no_ , Ruby thinks. She's supposed to have a handle on this.

The anxiety and stress finally got her to snap and Ruby glared at the girl. Behind her, the trees on the leaves rustled. "Hey, I said I was sorry, princess."

"It's heiress, actually." The wind shifted directions just as someone new stepped up. Ruby's shoulders relaxed at the extra help and she looked over the mysterious student all dressed in black clothes and a black bow, save for the long white jacket.

As the girl in white got lectured by the girl in black, Ruby bit back a laugh. It quickly died when she noticed the edges of her cape starting to ice up, too. Before she could really process that, the first girl was storming off.

"I promise I'll make this up to you-!" But she wasn't listening. Ruby sighs. "I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day." She turns to look at the girl in black. "So, what's-" but she was leaving too.

Ruby let herself collapse onto the ground in exhaustion and embarrassment. She pulls the edge of her cape close and smooths out the thawing edges. "Welcome to Beacon."

  
  


* * *

 

The methodical churning of clockworks in Ozpin's chamber was not and would never be reassuring. Honestly, Qrow hates it. Which was why he only came here when he absolutely had to.

When the elevator doors opened, he saw Ozpin standing at the window. Looking out over the new arrivals, probably. All those new students.

"Look, I get that you're probably busy," Qrow drawls and leans against Oz's desk, "But this Maiden situation is really dire. Ironwood's blowing up my scroll about it and I'm thinking he's right. So we-"

"Relax, Qrow." Ozpin didn't even turn around. "The Maiden situation is handled."

"What." Qrow straightens. "What does that mean."

"You never told me that Summer's daughter had silver eyes." He paused, as if for response, and Qrow didn't give him one. "There's a lot of things you didn't tell me about her."

"...I wasn't sure of it." Qrow admits. "I mean, yeah, when Tai told me she was acting weird not long after Amber died, I suspected, but... " Fear lanced through his belly. "Oz, she's just a girl."

"She's not _just_ a girl anymore. You know that." Ozpin turns to face him. "Don't worry. I'm not planning on telling her. She'll be safest here, anyway."

"Alright, that's one, but the other three are still in the wind. Just getting Fall squared away isn't-"

"They're here too. All four of them, enrolled as first-year students."

Qrow stares. Ozpin has the gall to smile.

"The thing about coincidences is that they often feel like fate." He turns to look out the window again, at the courtyard where the students were gathering. "Let's find out what fate has in store for our new Maidens. Shall we?"  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next few chapters shouldn't lean as heavily on canon dialogue but a few of these scenes wouldn't have changed much, so


	2. first snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just at her lowest point, Weiss is forced to reckon with a change. But when she follows the urge to leave and make something new of herself and Beacon, she finds that maybe she's not alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i thought a lot about this chapter and how to handle it, and if there was any other way to do this, but... anything else wouldn't quite have the impact i needed. so sorry, this hurts me more than you. cw for character death
> 
> oh, and also, cw for (implied) abuse because jacques exist

About a year after Winter gets disinherited for joining the military, Weiss' father invites General Ironwood over for dinner. Ironwood brings Winter along as a guest. Weiss knows it's some kind of political ploy between her father and General Ironwood, but she's just happy to get a chance to see her sister.

A tense discussion between the two men gets interrupted by Winter announcing that she's recently gotten a promotion. General Ironwood gives her a half-reprimanding half-amused look, and her father pretends to be impressed.

When the two of them go off to discuss things behind closed doors (of course), it gives Weiss a moment alone with her sister.

"Congratulations on your promotion!" Weiss says, folding her hands behind her back to hide her excitement. "You definitely deserve it. Your combat skills are far more impressive than the average soldier! Among other things."

"Yes," Winter agrees cryptically. "Among other things."

 

Over the next few years, Winter rarely visits. That's to be expected with her shiny new rank (and she keeps rising!). When she does visit, she helps Weiss train. And she never catches Weiss when she falls.

"You need to learn to pick yourself up," Winter scolds her, but there's a softness in her eyes. "Because, someday, I might not around to do so anymore."

  

It starts as a chill that wakes her from a gentle dream. Weiss pulls the blanket closer around herself and tries to go back to sleep. The feeling just gets worse until she's curled up and shivering.

Weiss sits up groggily and looks to see if her window is still open. That's when it hits her in earnest. First a piercing, icy jolt, followed by a flood of heat rippling through her Aura. Weiss chokes back a noise and throws the blankets off of her. She claws at her throat, as if that'll help. Then she stumbles over to her windows and hurls them open, sucking down the freezing night air. It stings her throat but it's a respite from the feeling overwhelming her.

That doesn't help for very long. Weiss closes the window with shaking hands and decides maybe she should get a drink of water, or something.

Once she makes it to the bathroom, she just leans against the wide sink and stares at the mirror. She touches her face and her fingers feel icy. Is that from the cold night, or something else ...?

A knock on the door startles her.  
  
"Miss Schnee?" Weiss vaguely recognizes the voice as one of the newer maids. Does father have them working overtime? "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Weiss answers too quickly. "I... just had a nightmare."

"Do you need any assistance? Shall I get your father?"

"No!" Weiss pulls her hands close to her chest. "No thank you. I'm going back to bed in a moment."

That seems to satisfy her, and Weiss is greeted with silence again. She waits a moment and then exits the bathroom. Not to go back to her room. She's not getting back to sleep. Instead, she finds her way to the library. Once there she crawls onto a couches and pulls her knees to her chest.

"Coffee, Miss Schnee?" When she looks up Klein is already holding a cup out for her. She didn't even hear him enter. "I get the impression you're not going back to bed."

"Thank you." Her voice is almost hoarse when she takes the mug. But she doesn't drink. She just holds it and stares into the liquid.

"Something's wrong, Klein," She admits. "I just don't know what. Something just feels _wrong_."

 

They find out what's wrong the next day.

General Ironwood arrives to the house unannounced. That's odd. He never comes unannounced. And if it was an emergency, he would have called. And Winter isn't with him like she usually is for house calls.

Weiss watches, lingering far behind her father where he's come to greet the General in the foyer. Ironwood bows his head and keeps his eyes low.

"I regret to inform you that..."

Weiss doesn't hear any more because she knows, she _knows_. She covers her mouth with her hands and barely muffles a cry. Her father remains stone faced. She wants to run out of the room and run out of the house and run somewhere where this isn't true anymore.

Her eyes sting and _burn_ in too many ways and so she barely notices Ironwood approach her. He places a hand on her shoulder, gently, and she tries very hard not to cry in front of him. He looks at her - at her eyes - in a searching way that she will think a lot about years later but can't process right now. Then he softens to sympathy.

"Your sister was one of the bravest people I've ever known," He says. "Atlas will never forget her sacrifice."

(Later, she finds out that they'll never tell her how Winter died. _Classified_. Where. How. _Why_. Everything is classified.)

 

Weiss grieves twice. She grieves in the Schnee way, publicly, attending formal ceremonies in an elaborate black dress and not crying. Never crying. And then she grieves privately. Alone in her bedroom, crying until her eyes are red. Following her mother's example and skipping dinner with her father (and skipping dinner, until Klein comes in with a bowl of soup). Her father, grudgingly, allows it, so long as she keeps it out of the public eye.

It kills her. She thinks maybe Winter would've liked her to cause a ruckus, to break down publicly and embarrass her father. Or maybe Winter would have loved the formality of this all. Weiss doesn't know and that's what hurts the most.

At first she attributes the sickness to grief. The waves of cold that pulse across her Aura sometimes are just side-effects of her emotions running wild. Grief made manifest in the lightning in her veins.

Except it starts being more than that. The first time she notices is when Whitley catches her in the hallway, jabbing at her with his classic needling about whatever he think will hurt. He seems miserable, and apparently making other people miserable is his way of coping.

Either way, it gets her to tense up. She rests her hands behind her so he can't see her clench them into fists. Her eyes burn, threatening to spill over to tears. It doesn't even matter what he's saying. Then he tries to take a step forward, to circle her, but he stumbles. He barely manages to catch himself, but only because he pulls one foot out of his shoe. Which is frozen fast to the ground.

They both excuse themselves quickly and pretend it never happened.

She notices it more from then on. The way things literally freeze when she gets too upset. How her curtains will rustle from a wind inside the room when she's overwhelmed. The way the fire under her skin will rear up and then something will happen. It's strange. It's frightening.

But some days, she welcomes the feeling. It's nice to be overwhelmed by something else for a change.

 

Eventually, it becomes impossible to hide the symptoms from her father. It does him no good for his heiress to be publicly ill, or whatever this is, so he quietly has the family doctor check her out. The exam is nothing unusual, just like every other physical check-up she's had. Even the tests for her Aura are relatively normal, save for a few small flare-ups of her ... illness. The doctor leaves briefly to replace his half-frozen coat with a new one.

The doctor's either a fool or very kind, because speaks too loudly when reporting to her father. She can hear it even in the separate waiting room they've put her in.

"I'm happy to inform you that physically she is perfectly healthy, sir," The doctor says. "Her Aura shows ... some odd fluctuations, but nothing dangerous."

"Then what's wrong with her?"

"Well ..." There's the sound of shuffling paper. "There have been cases of Semblances changing or acting erratically during periods of intense stress. For instance, the loss of a loved one ..."

Her father is silent. Weiss hugs herself.

"It's likely to pass with time. In the meantime, I can--"

"That will be all."

When he father fetches her, Weiss holds back tears. She smiles politely. He doesn't tell her any of that, just that she'll be fine. Weiss pretends to believe him. She doesn't cry until she's back in her room, alone.

 

Some nights, Weiss thinks she could just run away. She imagines she could build herself a whole new life somewhere else. Like she could summon forth a castle at her fingertips, if she just willed it.

That's just improbable. Leaving, now, that's a little bit more reasonable. Before ... before, she'd entertained the notion of attending a combat school enough to get private fighting lessons. Sometimes by Winter.

It's more appealing now. Leaving Father behind. Making something of herself. Doing something to make Winter proud.

She could go to Atlas' school, but then she'd be fast tracked into the military and Weiss doesn't want that. Even if it's what Winter chose, she can't stand the idea of listening to Ironwood. Part of it is the way he looks at her like an injured zoo animal, looking for symptoms (does he _know_?), and part of it is the way he won't tell her anything.

The thought strikes her like a bolt of lightning. She could be a huntress. Go to ... Haven or Beacon, but probably Beacon. Sure, she'd dreamed of it as a girl, and always seriously considered it, but before the idea had never filled her with such longing. She could create a name for herself outside of her father, as Weiss Schnee the _Huntress_. And when she's famous and beloved, how could Ironwood say no to her questions?

It's just a matter of convincing her father. He'll never change.

 

Her father devises a test. The deal is simple: if she can pass it, she can go to Beacon. It is, of course, set up for her to fail. Weiss doesn't care. She'll prove him wrong. It's what Winter would have wanted her to do.

The moon is high when she enters the arena. The lights come up and Weiss sees her opponent: a massive knight made out of shiny grey metal, silent and imposing. For a second, doubt and the edge of fear consume Weiss. But as it begins to move, that was replaced by cold determination.

At first, she focuses on just battling with her training and her Semblance. Her hits land true, and manage to slow the creature, but never truly seems to harm it. Still, she thinks she's doing okay until it manages to punch her across the room.

For a moment she stays down. The knight watches her. Her face burns around her left eye, and warm blood trickles down her cheek.

Is this it? Is that as far as she can go? Maybe she is just a silly little girl with stupid dreams. She closes her eyes and imagines Winter's disappointed frown, but also the softness of sympathy in her eyes. No, she can't give up now. The thought burns in her until it spreads under her skin, like cold fire.

Weiss rises to her feet with renewed vigor. She feels like a storm cloud about to break. The knight watches her as she clicks Myrtenaster to one of its dusts settings, then runs for her. Except this time it's easy. She activates the Dust seamlessly, flipping from chamber to chamber and basically juggling the knight.

Maybe it's her imagination, but the Dust seems more effective than ever.

Finally she pins it with an enhanced glyph. Weiss jumps high into the air to prep a finishing move. The final surge of battle lights something inside her. Her eyes burn. The knight's cool grey armor reflects an image of her and Weiss sees that her eyes are on fire, quite literally, with a blue flame.

But she's too focused on the task at hand to think about it. One last push and she strikes the knight. It falls behind her as she lands, and shatters.

The shattered pieces fall again as snowflakes all around her.

 

The injury heals, but it leaves a scar. Every time she looks in a mirror, it's a glaring remind that she _could have done better_. Still. She packs her things. Well, mostly other people pack her things, but she's the one that gently lays Myrtenaster in its cradle. She smooths out her combat outfit - the new one, with the high collar and red jewel at the clasp, dark blue fading to speckles white and elaborate lace on the skirt hem and wide sleeves. This is actually happening.

Sometimes she reminds the image of cold fire pouring from her eyes. She's afraid of what it could possibly mean.

She thinks about it a lot in the long, quiet hours in the airship to Beacon. But she thinks about Winter more.

 

Her first day at Beacon goes... poorly. That girl nearly blowing up the courtyard in her face wouldn't have been so bad if that other girl hadn't shown up to drag her family name through the dirt. She'd been so upset that her condition had flared up again, leaving stiff frost on her dress.

Then things get worse. When she filters in with the rest of the students to crowd the auditorium (ugh!), she absentmindedly finds the first spot she can that isn't completely cramped. It takes her a moment to realize it's empty because it's next to the excitable red girl with the cape and

some tall blonde girl with a chaotic leather ensemble. And they are very clearly talking about _her_.

"You!" Weiss snaps, bubbling with enough anger that a phantom breeze blows passed them. The short red girl jumps into the taller one's arms, some static electricity crackling between the two.

"It's happening again!" The red one - Ruby? - squeals.

"You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff," Weiss snaps, even as the hint of a breeze still rustles around them. Ruby her eyes.

But the yellow one, she notices. Weiss catches her eyes carefully scanning and darting between the three of them. The edge of fear pulls forth some self-consciousness in Weiss. Oh, no. They're going to think she's a freak. That's far worse than being mildly embarrassed.

The taller one respondes, delayed, after a beat. "Oh my god, you really exploded."

"It was an accident!" Ruby insists as she's dropped. "It was an accident! I didn't mean-"

Weiss just pulls out a Schnee Dust pamphlet and shoves it in red cape girl's face. "Just take this and read it and never speak to me again, and I'll _maybe_ consider forgetting about this little incident."

"Look, uh, it sounds like you two just got off on the wrong-" But Weiss doesn't stick around to listen. She slips back into the crowd and away from the two of them (though she can hear faintly the yellow one say "Aaaaaand she's gone."), wanting to hide where nobody else will notice her.

Luckily, the headmaster's speech starts up quickly after. She pays careful attention, but doesn't actually absorb much. Mostly because she's a little perturbed by the way his gaze lingers on her, almost searching, for a second too long. Maybe even more so the way she's not the only one he does that too - he watches the girl in red, too.

 

 

That night, she thinks she's been spared. Up until she follows the sound of a ruckus to try and intimidate the ones responsible. "What in the world is going on over here? Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep-!"

Weiss recognizes the source of the noise as red cape girl and tall blonde girl. They recognize her too. "Oh, not you again!" Her and yellow say simultaneously.

"Shh!" Ruby glances between the two of them nervously. "She's right guys, people are trying to sleep-"

"Oh, _now_ you're on my side," Weiss hisses, even if the validation warms her a bit.

"I was always on your side!" Ruby defends.

"Yeah, what's your problem with my sister?" The yellow one snaps. Weiss' stomach twists. "She's only-"

Weiss doesn't hear the rest. Beneath her glare, her ears are ringing. They're sisters? That explains how protective the one is, but the logic of the situation doesn't stop her from thinking about Winter. What she wouldn't give to have Winter her, defending her from these miscreants. What she wouldn't give to have Winter _anywhere_.

"I- was just-" Weiss tries to snap back, but her voice is hoarse. The two sisters pause, on the edge of noticing. Then the girl with the black bow, who Weiss hadn't even realized was here, blows out the candles and sends them into darkness.

Weiss storms off. Nobody follows her.

 

The next day can't come quickly enough. Even after trying and failing miserably to impress Pyrrha Nikos, Weiss is still hopeful about finding her team. Finally. Some people who she can show who she really is, and earn the respect she deserves. People who don't know about her little problem.

Most of the venture is disastrous. She gets paired with Ruby, of all people, and they nearly burn the forest down. Well, _Weiss_  does - it's hard to say if the fireball came from her dust, or from her. Luckily for her, Ruby doesn't seem to notice. It puts her on edge enough that they bicker all the way up to when they plummet right into all the others.

As soon as they're all together (as Ruby's obnoxious sister points out), Ruby runs off to make a show of fighting and dying to some Grimm. Weiss seethes... up until Ruby gets pinned. Weiss isn't about to let her partner get killed on day one.

So she races forward and digs her blade into the ground in front of Ruby. She acts on instinct, and instinct says no Dust. A wall of ice bursts forth regardless and spares them from the Deathstalker's tail. Weiss remains perfectly crouched until the burning in her eyes subsides.

Weiss promises to be nicer, quickly, stiffly. She turns and walks back to the rest of the group while Yang runs forward and hugs her sister. Weiss tries to ignore the way her shoulder slumps.

They all decide to run and Weiss is fine with that, but the Grimm aren't. Fighting a Nevermore on a rickety old ruin isn't an ideal situation, and their attacks are doing little.

"I have a plan," Ruby announced. Weiss has no choice but to trust her.

Somehow - somehow! - it all works. Yang lures the beast to the cliff, where Weiss pins its tail with ice. Dust this time. She's startled at how much less effective the Dust is, but doesn't say anything.

After she launches Ruby on their makeshift slingshot, all she can do is sit back and watch.

Ruby races skywards with the Nevermore in tow, and to Weiss' shock, her tell-tale petals and the tips of the Nevermore's wings crackle with electricity and spark as she runs. The final push to slice the creature's head off is punctuated by not-so-distant thunder. And when Ruby, at the very top of the cliff, turns to look down at them, Weiss thinks she sees the distant flicker of silver fire from Ruby's eyes.

Weiss has never believed in fate. Heritage, of course, a paths laid out for her, sure, but never density. But this? This makes her wonder.

 

 

The team-naming ceremony is happening shortly, but they've all been given some time once back at the school to clean themselves up and take care of any wounds. Since she and Ruby are mostly just facing bruises, they take a few minutes to tend to their weapons and put them away. Nearby, Ruby's sister and her dour partner are chattering away about something. Weiss keeps her new partner in the corner of her eyes.

Ruby gently folds up her monster of a scythe, places it delicately in her locker ... and then leans heavily against the edge of it.

"Are you alright?" Weiss asks, not sure if she should try to help or something.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just tired." Ruby rubs her head. "It's just ... have you ever accidentally inhaled some Dust-"

"Some of us try to be more careful than that."

"Okay, yeah, but _everyone_ does at some point. Anyway, you accidentally get it in your system, and you've got like this burst of unnatural energy, and when it works its way out of you you're like ... super tired?"

Weiss frowns. "When did you inhale Dust? Is somebody's weapon malfunctioning-"

"No, no, I didn't! I just mean ..." Ruby stares off into the distance. Weiss watches her and suddenly longs for her to continue, because she knows exactly what Ruby means. An unnatural surge of energy. Fire from the eyes-

"Nevermind, I lost my train of thought." Ruby shrugs. "You alright? You took a few nasty hits."

"Yes. I'm." Weiss' mouth is dry. "I'm fine."

 

One day they're surprised by a visitor. The man who knocks on their door is scruffy, unkempt, and perpetually slouching. Weiss' suspicions don't leave even when Ruby squeals something unintelligible and launches herself at him. She only understands when Yang also responds.

"Uncle Qrow!" While the sisters are both busy hugging him (or hanging off his arm, in Ruby's case), Weiss scrutinizes him. Even Blake emerges slightly from her alcove of a bed. The two leftover partners exchange a glance.

"Hey, girls," this 'Qrow' says once he can breath again. "Good to see you."

"What are you doing here?" Ruby gives him a quizzical look. "Not that we're not glad to see you!"

"No, no, I get it." He shrugs. "I was just in town and thought I'd stop by. See how you were doing, meet your new teammates - is this them?"

"Oh, yes!" Ruby, thankfully, for once, makes their life easier by covering the introductions. "That's Blake-" Who nods politely, "-And Weiss."

"Schnee?" Qrow sounds amused, which just makes Weiss bristle. But also, under that amusement is ... something else.

"Please to meet your acquaintance," She answers venomously. He just smirks.

 

Later that day, after returning from studying in the library alone, she catches Qrow leaning against the wall just outside their room. Weiss vows to ignore him.

"Hey, Schnee." He half-waves at her through crossed arms. "I heard about your sister."

Weiss freezes. He waits for her for a second before going on.

"She was stubborn. And foul tempered. And ... a good person." His gaze softens. "I'm really sorry, kid."

"Can you tell me what happened?" She's asking before she even realizes it. It's like gasping for air. "Nobody will tell me what happened."

Qrow frowns. "...Since you're Ruby's friend, I'll see what I can find out."

"Thank you," She says, hollowly, because the gesture is nice but there's a veiled quality to his eyes that makes her believe he's lying.

 

Later, when the sun rays of early evening are just starting to disappear, Ruby comes back to the room. Weiss is busy reading a textbook in bed, going over the material for a second time as an excuse to keep busy. Blake and Yang are ... who knows where, both off somewhere else if they're not together.

Ruby closes the door carefully and pauses. She rocks back on her heels. Weiss tries to ignore it.

"Hey, uh, Weiss, so ...."

"If you're going to say something, get it over with," She snaps, not even looking up from her book.

Ruby actually pauses like she's considering her words carefully, which surprises Weiss. Maybe it shouldn't. "I overheard you and Qrow talking earlier."

 _Oh_. Weiss sets her book down.

"I'm sorry about your sister," Ruby fidgets and Weiss wants to be angry that Ruby's talking about something she knows nothing about, but she can't find it in herself. "...My mom died when I was young."

"I'm sorry," Weiss replies with hollow sympathy.

"Oh, no, now I sound like I'm trying to one up you, I just mean - I kinda know what it's like. And if you ever want to talk about it, I get it."

"Talk about it?" Weiss stares at her.

"Yes ...?" Confusion and worry pull at Ruby's expression. "You don't have to, if you don't want. But I'm your partner, so ... if it helps, I'm here for you."

"...I'll consider it," Weiss says, and it's the first honest thing she's said all day.

Ruby nods after a moment. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that, so I'll uh ... leave you to your reading-"

"Ruby," Weiss blurts it out before she can leave. Suddenly all she can think about is Ruby on that cliff. "I- Hypothetically. If there was something else I wanted to talk about, could we ever ... talk?"

"Uh." Ruby blinks at her. "I mean! Yes, of course. Any time. Hypothetically."

"Hypothetically," Weiss looks at her hands. "Something."

Ruby looks down at Weiss' hands, then to her own. Weiss watches as she bites her lip in thought, and then meets Weiss' gaze with an almost knowing look.

"Something," Ruby agrees.

 

* * *

 

 

"Soooo," Qrow drawls, pacing across Ozpin's office, "Winter's sister? Should've seen that one coming."

Ozpin doesn't look up from the paper's he's scanning. "Didn't you?"

"Well, sure." Qrow shrugs. "Ironwood was really tight-lipped about any potentials, and a family member's obvious, so I had my suspicions."

"You never voiced them."

Qrow shrugs more dramatically. "The girl was shut up in the Schnee's extremely well guarded mansion. And now she's here. It worked out, didn't it?"

"Hmmn."

Qrow rounds on Ozpin's desk, stopping in front of it with crossed arms. After a moment, Ozpin finally looks up.

"Let me guess," Ozpin deadpans, "You're not so sure about the other two." He tilts his head. "You don't think they could be keeping secrets from you?"

"I can't speak for that Blake girl, but Yang?" Qrow shakes his head. "I would have noticed. She's been different, but not _that_ kind of different."

"Would you?" Ozpin folds his hands on the desk. "Perhaps she takes after-"

"Don't," Qrow growls.

He shrugs his defeat. "And what do you think of Miss Belladonna?"

"I think she's got plenty of secrets," Qrow answers carefully, "But that we should let the girls work them out on their own."

"I agree. But what happens when they figure out a little bit too much?"

Qrow uncrosses his arms and lets them fall gently to his side. "You are going to tell them, aren't you?"

"Hmmn." Ozpin spins around in his chair. "We'll see. They're still so young."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope it's obvious, but their costumes in this are meant to be a mashup of pre- and post-timeskip outfits. because things are off-kilter here. 
> 
> also, sorry for the tense change, this one just comes naturally. i hope it wasn't too distracting! let me know if so


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